1. Field
The invention relates to input devices, and in particular to generating and processing multiple independent mouse-message (and similar protocol framework) based input data via hardware and their further processing using specialized software.
2. Related Art
Various hardware items exist which are integrated in some form or another with a computer. Examples include computer keyboards, standard computer mice, pen mice, tablets, etc. Other hardware, such as musical keyboards and other instruments have also been adapted to work a computer interface utilizing MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) and other systems and protocols. In the case of mouse message-based devices, such as standard computer mice, pen mice, etc., there is generally low latency or low “lag” in the relationship between the sensed motion (i.e. human action) and the computer response. This is due to the integration of mouse messages with lower layers of the operating system (OS). However, since the OS combines the data it retrieves from multiple pointing devices and treats the combined data as representing a single pointing device seen by applications as a single mouse, there is no independence between multiple devices generating mouse messages (and similar protocol framework messages). Conversely, while devices such as musical instruments using MIDI do achieve a level of independence, they suffer from a lack of flexibility and design, as well as from latency issues due to the layers of messaging required for performance.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods and systems allowing design and use of a variety of mouse-message and similar protocol framework message-based devices and tools, offering a variety of new functionalities, integrated with a specialized software layer that recognizes and renders the device or tool input data separately and simultaneously at a low level of the OS architecture.